00:00Please welcome to the stage, Jim Lee.
00:07All right, this is a little different because I'm talking to you guys, but you guys are
00:19over here.
00:20Thank you, Steve.
00:21First off, I have to ask, are there any comic book fans here?
00:28I know you guys are.
00:29We got people from DC Comics, but other ones, it looks like we got a few.
00:32Great.
00:33We have some of my people here.
00:34I feel great.
00:35Fantastic.
00:36All right.
00:37Look, it is an honor to be here today, and it has been an honor to contribute to the
00:41legacy of one of the world's greatest superheroes, Batman.
00:45Give it up.
00:48I've worked in comics for over three decades now, as you can tell from the copious gray
00:53hairs, and of the many characters whose stories I've been privileged to tell, few have stood
00:58the test of time, and has resonated as broadly and as powerfully as Batman, inspiring the
01:04next level of fervor and passion that you see in his fan base today.
01:08So kudos to you all.
01:12Batman is one of the most iconic fictional characters in the world, and is a self-made
01:16superhero, notable not for his superpowers, but for his intelligence, grit and determination,
01:22and technical mastery.
01:24Today, Batman's star is being honored in the category of motion pictures, but in many ways,
01:30Batman is a star in all five of the recognized categories of the Walk of Fame.
01:35Yes.
01:36Woo!
01:37First, in motion pictures, from Adam West in the hit 1966 movie, and the subsequent
01:46TV show, to the latest Dark Knight, as played by Robert Pattinson in Matt Reeves' The Batman,
01:52the image of Batman is reinvented for every generation by incredible creators both behind
01:58the camera and at the drawing board.
02:01In television, Batman has been the star of numerous animated productions, the aforementioned
02:06legendary Batman 66 TV show, and modern incarnations of his universe, like such hits as Gotham,
02:14Titans, Batwheels, and Harley Quinn.
02:17Yes.
02:18Woo!
02:19Second, in audio recording and music, Batman spawned multiple hit records on the charts.
02:27Who can forget Batdance by Prince, which reached number one?
02:33Yes.
02:35The Danny Elfman soundtrack.
02:37Yes.
02:39The 1966 Batman theme, a hit in multiple countries, and more recently, an audio drama podcast
02:47like Batman Unburied, which featured Winston Duke as Batman.
02:52Yes.
02:54In radio, a recurring star on Superman's long-running radio show, Batman actually had several episodes
03:03all to himself.
03:05Yes.
03:06And most recently, in the comedic audio drama podcast series, Batman Audio Adventures.
03:14And finally, in theater, live performance, Batman has been a main attraction in productions
03:20throughout the world, from fine dining experiences in London and Mexico City, to escape rooms
03:26in Paris and throughout the United States, theme parks in Spain, Australia, and Abu Dhabi,
03:32as well as pop-up experiences in locations as diverse as Brazil, Singapore, New York
03:38City, and Malaysia.
03:41Production is continuing forward in a thrilling new era on screen, as James Gunn and Peter
03:45Safran kick off their bold new vision for the DCU next summer with James' highly-anticipated
03:50film, Superman.
03:53Yes.
03:55Yes.
03:57In the meantime, fans can see the rise of Oz Cobb from Matt Reeves' The Batman, and
04:04the HBO original limited series, The Penguin, from DC Studios.
04:09Yes.
04:11And Warner Brothers TV, now streaming on HBO and Max.
04:14That is a plug.
04:15But they don't need it.
04:16It has a rating of 94% on Rotten Tomatoes.
04:2094.
04:22Huge.
04:23One last thing I'd like to share before I hand the mic back to Steve.
04:26Batman's star, as he mentioned, will be beside the likes of Bob Kane, the co-creator of Batman
04:31in the comic books, obviously, Adam West and Burt Ward from the 1966 Batman the movie and
04:37television show.
04:39But in addition, we notice that the surrounding stars also include Arnold Schwarzenegger.
04:44Yes.
04:45Yes.
04:46Who played Mr. Freeze.
04:48Yes.
04:49In 1977's Batman and Robin.
04:52And also, Judy Garland.
04:55Yes.
04:56Who our DC Archivist, Benjamin Leclerc, who I think is right there.
05:01Benjamin.
05:02Shout out.
05:04He pointed out that the then DC artist Mark Swayze based Mary Marvel's costume, design
05:11and personality upon the legendary actress.
05:15Little known fact.
05:16Pretty cool.
05:20And now Batman has found another amazing home here in the heart of Hollywood.
05:25The city in which so many of his stories have been created, animated, filmed and brought
05:30to life.
05:31So I want to thank you guys for coming and showing so much support for the character
05:34we all love.
05:37And thank you for the team for coming out and showing support.
05:40You guys create the foundation that inspires so many of the media productions that we all
05:44know and love.
05:45So back to you, Steve.
Comments